Immanuel, God With UsColossians 1:15-20

“The revelation of Christ in the Bible is far more excellent, more glorious,

more filled with rays of divine wisdom and goodness than the whole

creation…Without this knowledge, the mind of man, however priding

itself in other inventions and discoveries [and philosophies], is

wrapped up in darkness and confusion.”

John Owen, The Glory of Christ

God in the Flesh (v. 15a)

eikon = image / statue / icon

cf. Hebrews 1:3; Philippians 2:6

Preeminent One (v. 15b)

protokos = first borndetermined by context / support of

Scripture

position not chronology

cf. Micah 5:21 Peter 3:22

Sovereign Creator of Everything (v. 16a)

Heavens and earthVisible and invisible

Thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities

“How did the lens, retina, optic nerve, and all the other parts in vertebrates that play a role in seeing suddenly come about? Because natural selection

cannot choose separately between the visual nerve and the retina. The emergence of the lens has no

meaning in the absence of a retina. The simultaneous development of all the structures for

sight is unavoidable. Since parts that develop separately cannot be used, they will both be

meaningless, and also perhaps disappear with time. At the same time, their development all together

requires the coming together of unimaginably small probabilities.” - Dr. Ali Demirsoy, Inheritance and

Evolution, p. 475.

“To suppose that the eye, with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting

different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic

aberration, could have formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd

in the highest degree possible.”

Charles Darwin, Origin of Species, p. 155.

Sovereign Over All

Human and supernatural rulers / powers

Cf. Ezekiel 28The King of Tyre

Cf. 1 Peter 3:22

Focus of Existence (v. 16b)

Cf. Romans 11:36

“Eternity shall not discover the shadow of a spot in our Beloved, but rather, as ages revolve, His hidden glories shall

shine forth with yet more inconceivable splendour, and His

unutterable loveliness shall more and more ravish all celestial minds.”

Charles Spurgeon

Pre-existent One (v. 17a)

Micah 5:2 – “long ago, from eternity”

John 1:1 – “In the beginning”

John 8:58 – I AM

"We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God

from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven…”

Nicene Creed, 325 AD

Sustainer of Everything (v. 17b)

“The universe also bears witness to the tremendous wisdom and knowledge of its

Creator. Scientists now speak of the Anthropic Principle, which states that the universe appears to be carefully designed

for the well-being of mankind”

Donald B. DeYoung, “Design in Nature: The Anthropic Principle”

Leader and Creator of the Church (v. 18a)

Head of the Church – Ephesians 1:22

Chosen Church – Ephesians 1:4

“The church is not formed to be a social club, to produce society for

itself; not to be a political association, to be a power in

politics; not even to be a religious confederacy, promoting its own

opinions: it is a body created of the Lord to answer His own ends and purposes, and it exists for nothing

else.”

Charles Spurgeon

Firstborn to Rise to Glory (v. 18b)“In the resurrection Jesus was exalted by being shown to have conquered death and Satan. He vanquished death and the one

who had the power of death. Hebrews 2:14 says this. “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He himself likewise

also partook of the same, that through His death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” And so the resurrection is the proof that God’s promise to you

that He will conquer death in your experiences as well is vindicated and set forth in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As

you see Him raised; as you trust in Him who was raised; you are seeing a prediction of your future experience. You too will

experience victory over death and you will experience release from the captivity of Satan.” – Ligon Duncan

Fullness of Deity (v. 19)

Pleroma = fullness or plentitude

On the one hand, in relation to Deity, He is the visible image of the invisible God. He is not only the chief manifestation of the Divine nature: He exhausts the godhead manifested. In Him

resides the totality of the Divine powers and attributes. For this totality Gnostic teachers had a technical term, the pleroma or plenitude.… In contrast to their doctrine, [Paul] asserts and

repeats the assertion, that the pleroma abides absolutely and wholly in Christ as the Word of God. The entire light is

concentrated in Him. – J.B. Lightfoot

Reconciler of Man (v. 20)

Children of wrath – Ephesians 2:1-3Enemies of God – Romans 5:10

God and sinners reconciled2 Corinthians 5:18-21

“These words are small in bulk, but great in mystery, it is the heads of the gospel in a nut-shell; the most sparkling

diamond in the whole golden ring of Scripture. It comprehends the counsels of eternity and the

transactions of time. A wonder in heaven, God bringing forth a man-child to be a propitiation for sin, which was the Jews' stumbling-block and the Gentiles' scoff. But

wherein the wisdom and grace of God's counsel in heaven, and the power of his actions on earth, clearly

shine forth in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Stephen Charnock

“The revelation of Christ in the Bible is far more excellent, more glorious, more filled with rays of divine wisdom and

goodness than the whole creation…Without this knowledge, the mind of man, however priding itself in other inventions and discoveries [and philosophies], is wrapped

up in darkness and confusion…

This therefore deserves the severest of our thoughts, the best of our meditations, and our utmost diligence in them. For if our future blessedness shall consist in living where

Christ is, and beholding of His glory, what better preparation can there be for it than a constant

contemplation of that glory [of Christ] as revealed in the Bible” – John Owen